Robust demand for rolled aluminum and copper 
products was supported by firm demand for 
aluminum can stock for beverage cans and copper 
tubes for air conditioners that resulted from a second 
consecutive unusually hot summer. On the other 
hand, construction and automobile-related demand 
was sluggish due to the appreciation of the yen and 
other factors. Consequently, overall demand for 
rolled aluminum and copper products remained at 
the same level as that of the previous fiscal year. 
  Under these conditions, sales volume of rolled 
aluminum products increased from the previous 
year, mirroring favorable demand for aluminum can 
stock for beverage cans, aluminum sheet for air 
conditioners, and aluminum substrates for computer 
memory disks. Also contributing to performance was 
steady growth in sales of hot-rolled aluminum coil to
KSL Alcoa Aluminum Company, Ltd. (KAAL), that 
accompanied an expansion in that company's sales volume.  
  During the year, despite growth in sales volume of 
such rolled copper products as copper tubes for air 
conditioners and copper sheets for semiconductor-
related electronic products, overall sales volume of 
rolled copper products declined from the previous 
year. 
  However, the increase in sales volume of rolled 
aluminum products, as well as higher prices for 
aluminum ingot and copper cathodes that supported 
a rise in market prices, resulted in a 13.5% increase 
in sales in the Aluminum and Copper Sector, to 
¥270.6 billion.